


A New Tradition

by hanluvr (Bria)



Series: Crashing into You 'verse [4]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Love Virtually - Daniel Glattauer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Pete's World, Prompt Fic, Romance, Romantic Gestures, Teninch Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 11:44:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7313938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bria/pseuds/hanluvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You’re not alone in this world any more, Rose. You have someone who is at your side, figuratively if not literally, whenever you need him. You don’t have to shoulder your burdens or your pain alone, my love. And because of that I’d like to start a new tradition. ~Leo</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Doctor Who isn't mine. If it was things would be quite different. The BBC owns all and I bow before them. I also don't own Love Virtually by Daniel Glattauer.
> 
> Written for timepetalsprompts on tumblr and their weekly prompt: summer dates or summer romantic gestures 
> 
> This is part of my [Crashing Into You 'verse](http://archiveofourown.org/series/380749), but not the next part chronologically, which is why it isn't marked that way yet. This follows Crashing into You, A New Beginning, and First Breakfast.
> 
> Many thanks to @lunaseemoony for listening to me nattering and letting me bounce things off her. I appreciate it. :)

Rose Tyler was immersed in paperwork in her office at Torchwood. It was the last place she wanted to be, on today of all days, but after taking it off the previous year, she’d realized sitting at home hurting didn’t make the painful anniversary any less difficult. It was definitely much better to face it head on. 

“Got a delivery for you, Rose.”

She looked up from her desk and saw Mickey Smith standing in the doorway. In his hands was a bouquet. Attached to it was a envelope labelled ‘ _Rose Tyler,’_ in Leo Leike’s distinctive handwriting. 

Rose felt a small smile start to spread across her lips and reached for the bouquet. She set aside the card for a moment and pulling back the white paper, she found an absolutely beautiful arrangement of irises. 

“Thank you,” she said to Mickey as she set the vase down and picked up the envelope once again. 

He nodded with a grin and left her alone. Rose had known he had been skeptical of Leo when she had first introduced him, but her boyfriend had ultimately won him over, once Mickey had seen how devoted and caring he was towards her. 

Pulling the card out she saw a field of dancing cartoon sunflowers and laughed out loud. Opening it, she began to read.

_Good morning (again) my darling Rose,_

_I hope these flowers and this card have put a smile on your face, the way you do every time I look at you. Doesn’t matter what you’re doing - holding my hand, painting your nails, anything at all and my lips are permanently upturned if my eyes are on you._

_I know today is a tough day for you. I wish I could take away all the pain of your past. Did you feel that this morning when I wrapped my arms around you and whispered 'I love you' in your ear? You were trying to be so strong and brave and I could see that, Rose. Your courage and perseverance never ceases to amaze me._

_You know what though? You’re not alone in this world any more. You have someone who is at your side, figuratively if not literally, whenever you need him. You don’t have to shoulder your burdens or your pain alone, my love. And because of that I’d like to start a new tradition._

_June 26th will always be the anniversary of the day you had to say goodbye to any thoughts of returning to your home universe and everything that entailed. But it’s also the day that brought you crashing into my life. We were two hurting souls and in our pain, we found each other. That is something I will forever be grateful for, even though I wish it hadn’t come at such a heavy cost to you._

_So from here on out, today will forever be the day that brought us together. Tonight we are going to celebrate that, however you would like. I made reservations at that little Thai restaurant you love for this evening if you’d like, but if you’d rather stay in, I will cook you whatever you want. Just go to your window and look out. Give me a heart for dinner out or a thumbs up for staying in. Whichever you choose, I look forward to tonight._

_All my love,  
Leo_

Rose swallowed thickly as she finished reading and blinked away the moisture that had formed in her eyes. The dimension cannon failure had been one of the worst days of her life, but Leo was right. If it hadn’t happened on that particular day, the same that his own dreams of meeting Emmi had turned to dust and taken him outside for a late night stroll, they might not ever had met. 

A year ago she’d still been living in her own flat and Leo had been at a conference in Vienna, so they’d been physically apart, but she loved the idea of this new tradition, celebrating the night they met and the relationship they had since developed. 

Rose went to the window and looked out. Sure enough, standing there in the street was Leo. She held up her hands and formed a heart. Leo’s face lit up and he nodded. Then he pressed a hand to his lips and pointed to her before he hurried off to his own job. 

She couldn’t wait for the evening and as Rose returned to her desk, her heart felt a bit lighter.


End file.
